The present invention relates generally to a mat for protecting a ground surface from waste discharged by heavy machinery. More particularly, the invention pertains to an oil drip mat assembly for use in conjunction with heavy machinery for collecting oil discharged from the machinery.
The use of heavy machinery in plants and work sites presents many problems for the surrounding environment. One problem commonly occurring during the operation of heavy machinery is the undesired leakage of liquids, such as oil, from the machinery during use. Liquids falling from the machinery can have negative results, such as pollution of the environment or creation of a hazardous area for workers in the region surrounding the machinery where the liquid is discharged.
The problem of undesired leaks is especially evident with heavy, mobile machinery, such as cranes and derricks, which have a center pin that controls the rotation of the machine. Such machines often leak oil and other fluids during transit, which presents problems as described above. In attempting to control this problem of undesired discharges with heavy machinery, several designs have been implemented which endeavor to trap and contain the oil that is unintentionally released from the machine. For example, simple oil drip mats that are merely used to cover the ground surface surrounding the machinery have commonly been used to try to contain the leaked oil. These simple mats are merely rectangular pieces of material placed under and around the machinery in an attempt to catch or contain the discharged oil. However, with heavy, mobile machines, such as a crane or derrick, such elementary designs for collecting oil will not work efficiently. For example, using such a conventional drip mat with the machinery requires that the mat constantly be repositioned and replaced as the machine moves forward or as the cab of the machine rotates. Due to this constant repositioning of the mat, a large portion of the oil and other dripping materials may not be trapped and contained by the mat.
In addition to the simple design previously described, there are a plurality of mat designs for catching the undesired dripped oil described in U.S. patents. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,565, issued to Stark, a grease mat for hydraulic hoists is illustrated. This mat is designed to be used with hydraulic hoists that include a rectangular platform. The mat is designed such that it includes a circular aperture and a slit so that the mat can surround the hydraulic hoist. However, the design further includes a series of clamps used to attach the mat to the floor so that the mat will remain secure and stationery at its desired location, and this design does not provide a means to attach to a machine to travel with that machine. Accordingly, this design will not travel during movement of the machinery, and therefore this design will not prevent the leaks occurring with the machinery during travel or during the rotation of the cab.
Another conventional grease mat design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,228,491, issued to Gatsos, which illustrates a mat for catching grease and oil droppings beneath an automobile. Such a mat is spread on the floor of the garage, and feet attached to the mat are used to secure the mat to the floor. This mat, as with a plurality of similar designs, is intended to be spread across a ground area to cover the section to be protected. However, such mats are designed to be placed directly on the floor and are not designed to be used with mobile machinery. Consequently, as with the previous design, this design will not be able to travel with the machinery to collect oil as it leaks from the cab of the machine.
What is needed, then, and not found in the prior art, is an oil drip mat assembly designed for use with heavy machinery having a center pin such that the mat may surround the center pin of the machinery and be capable of traveling with the movement of the machine to collect discharged oil and similar materials.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil drip mat assembly for use with heavy machinery having a center pin.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil drip mat assembly integrally attached to a center pin that will rotate with the center pin.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved oil drip mat assembly for use with a machine having a cab and a center pin that moves laterally in conjunction with the cab of the machine to capture oil and other materials falling from the machine.
The present invention describes an improved oil drip mat assembly for use with heavy machinery having a cab and a center pin supporting the cab, such as a crane or derrick. The oil drip mat assembly includes a mat that is preferably rectangular in shape. The mat includes a central aperture and a slit positioned between the periphery of the central aperture and the periphery of the mat. The slit defines a pair of edges that are flexible to be moved around the center pin. The central aperture of the mat is therefore designed so that the edges of the slit may be adjusted so that the periphery of the central aperture can be placed around the center pin. Furthermore, the oil drip mat assembly includes a plurality of eyelets connected to the periphery of the mat. A rope or similar connecting means is used to couple the eyelets of the mat to the cab itself such that the mat can be positioned under the cab of the machine and remain under the cab during operation of the machine. Therefore, as the cab rotates with the center pin, or as the machine travels along a linear path, the oil drip mat assembly will remain positioned directly beneath the cab to catch and absorb any materials disposed of by the cab.